La petite biscotte

VideoJug: How To Make Bechamel Sauce

Yesterday I decided to use up the Cauliflower/Broccoli I had left in my fridge and of course my first thought was to make a gratin with a nice Béchamel Sauce. Although I didn’t get time to make the actual gratin, I’d still like to post about how to make a perfect Sauce Béchamel. I’m using this quite often (in moderate quantities) as a base for gratins, to make lasagna or to cook other sauces.

This sauce can still be considered part of the basics of traditional French Cuisine; unfortunately it’s not being used much anymore by accomplished/modern chefs, due to the thick and rich texture of the sauce.

Personally I like to use this sauce in small quantities because:

• It’s made quickly
• You always got the ingredients at home
• Can accompany many dishes
• Can be seasoned and adapted almost infinitely

I found a video on videojug which reproduces almost exactly the recipe I usually follow to make my white sauce. I adapted the quantities to those mentioned in the video to make it easier. You can either follow the video or my description below. Anyway props to the people who made this video

Ingredients

• 25g butter (you can substitute oil for this)
• 25g flour
• 300ml milk
• 1/4 peeled onion (optional)
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 4 cloves (optional)
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper

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Preparation

1. With the cloves, stick the bay leaves to the onions (if you use any, I don’t).
2. Place the milk in a small pan and add the onion with the bay leaves.
3. On low-medium heat, let the milk cook until it’s almost boiling.
4. Turn off the heat and leave for five minutes to infuse.
5. Remove the onion/bay leaves/cloves.
6. Put the butter into a medium sized sauce pan and let it melt at low heat.
7. When the butter is melted (be careful not to burn it) add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon at low heat for about 1-2 minutes (you just made a “white roux”).
8. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually ad the hot milk while whisking. You must beat constantly so the roux blends with the milk.
9. Put the sauce back on the stove and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk constantly. This is very important, don’t stop to beat or the sauce will burn. When it starts to boil, lower the temperature and let simmer until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Again, do not stop to whisk at any moment.
10. Remove the sauce from the heat, season it with the nutmeg and the salt/pepper.
11. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any possible lumps.
12. If you are going to use the sauce at a later point, always cover it with a clingfilm, else it will develop a skin.

Enjoy!